Sweden

Investigators gather evidence at two Baltic sites while Danish navy is shadowing Chinese cargo shipSwedish police investigating the believed sabotage of two fibre-optic undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have said a Chinese ship off the coast of Denmark was “of interest” as Danish officials said its navy was shadowing a Chinese-registered cargo ship.The […]

The Czech Defense Ministry says it's planning to buy 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany in a deal worth about $167 million

Finnish authorities say they have opened an investigation into the rupture of a data cable under the Baltic Sea, adding to a Swedish probe into the possible sabotage of that link and another cable

Boris Pistorius says ‘no one believes’ two undersea fibre-optic communications cables were cut accidentallyRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesGermany has said it has to assume that damage to two undersea fibre-optic communication cables in the Baltic Sea since Sunday was an act of sabotage.Two cables – one between Finland and Germany, the other […]

Outages include 1,200km link between Germany and Finland and 218km cable between Lithuania and SwedenUpdate: Damage to Baltic Sea cables was sabotage, German minister says Two undersea fibre-optic communications cables in the Baltic Sea, including one linking Finland and Germany, have been severed, raising suspicions of sabotage by bad actors.The episode on […]

The tradition of chomping through a kilo of sweets once a week is under threat as demand soars for sugary sweetsSwedes love sweets. So when an American TikToker sparked a craze for Swedish candy this year, there was pride that an important part of national culture was being recognised around the world. The Danes may have Ozempic but the Swedes have […]

Ever since the election, there have been endless headlines about US women emulating South Korea’s fringe 4B movementSex sells. Sex strikes, meanwhile, make for an irresistible headline. Ever since Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the election, there have been endless headlines about how American women are emulating South Korea’s fringe 4B movement (which […]

Colleagues speak up in Paulina Brandberg’s support after leaked emails reveal efforts to spare her from the fruitA Swedish government minister’s fear of bananas has become a national talking point after emails revealed that such is the strength of her aversion that aides try to clear rooms of the fruit before she enters.Paulina Brandberg, the minister […]

Regulator deems posters offensive, though Elexir Pharma argues term is ‘not loaded in the same way as in the UK’The Swedish advertising ombudsman has criticised a company for using the C-word in posters to promote vaginal health supplements, saying the use of the “gross profanity” is offensive to consumers.The ads, displayed on public transport in […]

There are eight Swedens around the world – and the northern European nation is determined to prove it’s the original and bestName: Sweden.Age: First settled roughly 10,000 years ago. Continue reading...

The editor and author on completing the memoir by her late friend, Swedish writer Johanna Ekström, where she stands on the assisted dying bill and what she’s readingSigrid Rausing, 62, is a publisher and former editor of Granta magazine. When her best friend, the acclaimed Swedish writer Johanna Ekström, became terminally ill with cancer, Rausing […]

From Kenya to Brazil, patients need tasty, nutritious food more than most – so which countries do it best?• ‘We have learned to have low expectations’: why is UK hospital food so bad?One of the best meals of my life was the platter of food that I ate in a Taipei hospital after I gave birth to my son last year. There was tofu braised in five-spice, […]

Danish politician Rasmus Paludan sentenced to four months for incitement against ethnic groupA far-right Danish-Swedish politician has been sentenced to prison on charges of incitement against an ethnic group for burning copies of the Qur’an and making offensive statements about Muslims.Rasmus Paludan was the first person to go on trial in Sweden – and […]

Large majorities in seven countries condemn 7 October attacks – but most common view is Israel’s response in Gaza is also unjustifiedFull-scale war in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran is now likely, most western Europeans responding in a poll believe, with many criticising Israel’s conduct thus far and saying that if such a war did occur, the […]

Decision comes after military concludes projects would complicate defending Nato’s newest member against attackSweden has vetoed plans for 13 offshore windfarms in the Baltic Sea, citing unacceptable security risks.The country’s defence minister, Pål Jonson, said on Monday that the government had rejected plans for all but one of 14 windfarms planned […]

His Millennium trilogy was a worldwide hit. But to the Swedish author, it was only ever a sideshow to his true life’s work: fighting fascism, racism and rightwing extremismIt is a relatively well-known fact that the author of the bestselling and most widely known Nordic noir crime series of all time never got to witness his own success. Swedish novelist […]

Linguists argue language spoken by 2,500 people in central Sweden is more than an esoteric dialectIt is a distinct language that has survived against the odds for centuries in a tiny pocket of central Sweden, where just 2,500 people speak it today. And yet, despite bearing little resemblance to Swedish, Elfdalian is considered to be only a dialect of the […]

This long-running strike could be resolved if Tesla recognised a simple fact that I’ve uncovered in my reportingThe US presidential election has not been the only high-stakes date looming for Elon Musk. It has been more than a year since Swedish workers came out on strike against his electric car giant Tesla. Swedish industrial union IF Metall has been […]

Plans are further blow to Europe’s hopes of creating a homegrown electric car batteryVolvo Cars plans to buy out the struggling battery maker Northvolt from their jointly owned gigafactory in Sweden in another blow to Europe’s hopes of creating a homegrown electric car battery.Novo Energy, a joint venture between Volvo and the Swedish battery company, […]

Levy that reduced usage by more than three-quarters in four years fell victim to rightwing culture wars, say criticsA tax that has reduced plastic bag consumption in Sweden by more than three-quarters in four years is being abolished on Friday despite warnings that the decision could lead to usage rising back towards previous levels.Since the introduction […]

From snow-clearing to bus stops, civic furniture to football teams, women and men are considered and treated equally in this small city in Scandinavia – with the aim of making life happier for everyoneThe big red puma is the focal point of Umeå. The world’s first publicly commissioned statue dedicated to the #MeToo movement depicts a snarling cat atop […]

Rise in hybrid warfare and cyber-attacks blamed on pro-Russia groups prompt Nordic neighbours to backpedal Sweden and Norway are backpedalling on plans for cashless societies over fears that fully digital payment systems would leave them vulnerable to Russian security threats, and concern for those unable to use them.A combination of good high-speed […]